Yang Zhi

Yang Zhi (259-292) was Empress of Jin from 276 to 290 as the consort of Sima Yan.

Biography
Yang Zhi was born in 259, the daughter of Yang Jun and the cousin of Yang Yan. In 276, two years after her cousin's death, she was chosen to take her cousin's place as wife of Jin emperor Sima Yan, as her cousin feared that any other woman would undermine her son Sima Zhong, the crown prince. Yang Zhi was beautiful and virtuous, and she was favored by her husband, even though he had over 10,000 concubines. Her husband died in 290, and her father Yang Jun was chosen as regent for her developmentally disabled stepson. Her father excluded both Yang Zhi and her rival, her daughter-in-law Jia Nanfeng, from power until 291 AD, when he was overthrown in a coup by Jia Nanfeng and Sima Wei. Jia Nanfeng then had the Yang clan massacred, including Yang Zhi's mother, which led to Yang Zhi starving herself to death in despair.